Bach "ready" to run for another term as IOC president

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Friday confirmed that he is ready to run for a second term in his position as chief of the world's top sports organization.

"If you, the IOC members want me, I'm ready to run for a second term of the IOC president and continue to serve you in this Olympic movement which we all love so much for another four years," said Bach in his opening speech at the 136th Olympic Session this afternoon.

Born on December 29, 1953 in Wurzburg, Germany, Bach was elected as the president of IOC on September 10, 2013, as the successor to Jacques Rogge, at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

The IOC presidential election will be held in next year's IOC Session via a secret ballot by IOC members. If he succeeds, Bach will lead the IOC for another four years.

Bach was the first Olympic Medalist to have risen to the position of IOC chief -- he won a gold medal in the men's team foil fencing at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal.

The 66-year-old was an athletes' representative at the 11th Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden (1981) and a founding member of the IOC Athletes' Commission. He became an IOC member in 1991, was elected as a member of the IOC Executive Board in 1996 and served as an IOC Vice-President for more than 10 years. He has also chaired several IOC Commissions.

In the past unlimited, the length of the president's term is now fixed at eight years, renewable once for four years.